Looks like diving is going to be huge for Todd Beamer at state this coming Feb. 14-15, 2009, for the boys swim team there this high school season.

HUGE.

And, get rid of that period and put an exclamation point after that HUGE, too, please.

OK, then, why so good a potential to finish high as a team at state for Todd Beamer because of diving at state?

POINTS!

Todd Beamer should get a lot of points just from the diving portion at the state meet.

These Titans last year at state got a fourth place finish from Tommy Fraychineaud and a ninth from Ludomir Wanot, who are a senior and junior, respectively, this time around when the state swim and dive championships roll around early next year.

Sue Bergman coaches the Titans in this water sport, working with the swimmers, while Tim Fraychineaud coaches diving for the Federal Way School District.

So that’s good strength of points right there for state, coming to the Weyerhaueser King County Aquatic Center?

“Absolutely,” said Bergman.

Anthony Hogan is a new name to this list of Beamer divers. And, he, too, should get them more points at the state meet.

“I expect them all to go to state this year,” said Tim Fraychineaud, who does marvelous coaching all the Federal Way schools, including getting girls divers to state in their just completed championship meet Nov. 15-16.

With Hogan jumping in there, too, to now be state quality, Beamer could have well over 20 points from this single event of diving at the upcoming state meet in Feb. In a given individual race at state, a first place swimmer gives his team 20 points. So doing well diving should, at the least, give the Titans an equivalent first place of a race. And, if Hogan, Wanot and Fraychineaud go top five, that would equate to two first place swims in terms of points.

Hogan got to this point of being a state caliber diver from a little something that happened on the way to the office (to a meet), so to speak.

“As a sophomore, I wasn’t a serious diver,” said Hogan. But then as a junior, something happened to rock his world, that is, challenge him to do what was asked of him.

“Someone got sick that normally dove on our team and I was asked by Tim to do two dives so we could get points for a meet,” said Hogan.

And this was before a varsity dual meet.

Hogan began practicing with coach Fraychineaud then and there.

“I got two dives down in half an hour,” said Hogan. “If Tim thinks you can do it, you can do it.”

And Hogan did it. Showing himself potential on that one starry-skied day, in his eyes anyway. He knew then he was more than just a state caliber anchor relay leg that lost a “lean” at state a couple years ago, he said.

“Oh man, I still remember that,” said Hogan.

Now Hogan can remember this.

“I was just a track guy getting to state,” said Hogan. “Now I am trying to get to state in two sports.”

Wanot, Fraychineaud, Hogan? What’s in those three names for coach Fraychineaud?

“Just a hard working bunch of guys, it really is,” he said, and, let’s note, there were others at this dive practice, like Decatur’s Sam Green, that Fraychineaud was referring to.

Hogan recently was practicing a double somersault dive of sorts, looking like he was belly-flopping into the water.

Looks painful? Somersaulting in mid-air a couple times and then hitting the water cannonball style, if one holds the form.

“Yeah, once I learn the rotation, I will be straight up and down with them,” said Hogan, meaning he will add the “dive” part to this kamikaze-looking act he’s now doing in practice.

With Fraychinaued on him, things look good.

“You started to open up and look around, stay in it (tuck),” said Fraychineaud, explaining the double somersault dive to Hogan on one of his dives.

What’s Hogan hoping for this year in diving?

“Trying to cap it out with state-placing this year,” he said.

Wanot and Green think they can go 1-2 at state next year?

What about this year?

“Tommy is probably going to win,” said Wanot.

These guys have a lot of fun together with Green, as mentioned, earlier with Decatur’s swim team but also a potential state guy for sure, said Fraychineaud. Hogan enjoys this fun that’s a lot different from the running he is so good at. By the way, Hogan’s Beamer relay team took second in the state his freshman and sophomore years but won it all last year.

“They (Tommy, Ludomir) got me into diving,” said Hogan. “Now we say things like ‘Hey, I can do this. See what you can do.’ We are a very competitive trio.”

So, that’s diving, a lot of potential there. What about the swimming side of things for Beamer?

“Absolutely stronger than ever, 29 strong,” said Bergman, who said 23 turned out last year.

Stronger in terms of depth?

“In terms of depth, enthusiasm, focus,” she said. “It’s a group of guys that want to get in and get competitive and have some fun along the way.”

Last year, you guys won two dual meets and one dual meet was it the year before that?

Be better in duals or postseason this year?

“We’d like to do both,” said Bergman.

She mentioned some guys that should do well, like junior Shane Claire.

“He’s back with us. He took a year off for club,” said Bergman.

Costner McKenzie, a sophomore, is another shiner.

“His specialty is the fly and breast,” she said. “I took him to state for relays.”

“A couple boys from Bellarmine are on our team because Bellarmine does not have a boys swim program in high school,” she said, mentioning sophomore Blake Jordan and Dominick DeSimone.

“They’re back,” she said. “They have great potential.”

Cody Rogers, Darin Panasuik, and Mitch Parker, all juniors, look to do good things, too. The latter two mentioned were on state relays, and backing up DeSimone was an alternate on the state relay team, according to Bergman.

“Those are the ones that will shine, all returners,” said Bergman.

And we have some newcomers?

“Yes, we do,” said Bergman. A couple standing out are freshmen Dylan Chase, Tyler Snyder and Matt Bauer.

The captains are leaders in their own way. They are seniors Matt Meisner and Aaron Bower.

Both are doing things to help out the team in their own way.

“We will be team leaders and help kids if they help with homework. We’ll cheer them on,” said Bower.

“Dedication,” said Meisner. “We have to inspire the rest of our team to work harder and lead our team to victory.”

Goal?

“Win more meets,” said Meisner, adding, “We want to push everyone to do their best, get as many people to state and districts as possible.”

How many meets can you win?

“Four or five,” said Bower. “At least double last year.”

Why that kind of improvement?

“We have some that can get high places, first and second, and others can get third and fourth.”

That “depth” word Bergman already mentioned?

“This year we have more people than previous years, greatly helping our chances of winning, and going to state.”

Going to be as good as the girls team that just finished fourth in the state?

“That’s what we are hoping for,” said Bower. “They did really good this year.”

And with a good coach like Bergman it will all get done?

“She inspires us and pushes us to do our best, always standing on the sidelines shouting at us to go faster, showing us how we can improve.”